February 4, 2016

Good Afternoon!

Where do you get your inspiration? Facebook?  Movies? Books? Work?  Church?  Maybe you are not feeling inspired? Maybe you are just going through the motions of life?  There is a better way. There are different levels of inspirational material out there.  Some of the memes on Facebook are simply fluff. Books come up with new "sure fire" plans that change every five years.  Movies are just that, make believe. And work, well that should be inspiring, but for most of us it is just a way to feed the wolves at our door.

So where can one go for true and lasting inspiration that will carry you through the dark and tumultuous days as well as sunny and carefree seasons? Two sure-fire sources I have found to inspire me are the Bible and the Church.  When you look to the Bible as your source of inspiration you can expect certain things, like Joy (Jeremiah 15:16), Strength (Act 20:32), Peace (Psalm 119:165), Stability (Psalm 16:8-9), Success (Joshua 1:8), and Answered Prayer (John 15:7). If someone wrote a book that promised joy, strength, peace, stability, success and strategy for your prayers being answered, it would become a best seller. O wait, the Bible is a best seller with an estimated sales volume topping 5 billion since the 1800’s. 

In the Church you will (or should) find an inspiring message each week to counter the negative propaganda described as news. In the Church you will find people from all walks of life, different views, opinions, and customs, yet finding unity and purpose in a God of love and acceptance.  And lastly, in the Church you can find purpose that extends past this life of meaninglessness to eternal awesomeness. 

Take a moment each day to read the word of God. And make a commitment to attend Church at least once a week. Two things that won't take a lot of time, but will be time well spent. Inspiration should not be an event, but a lifelong experience. 

Doreen and I were blessed and totally surprised last Sunday.  October has been deemed pastor appreciation month. October came and went and nothing special was done for us, yet we still felt appreciated.  However, last Sunday we were presented with a gift and card as the church’s token of love for us.  I can tell you, like a lover getting a surprised gift from a suitor, Doreen and I were totally blessed at this unexpected expression of love and affection.  Ah, I love our church.

This Sunday, I will be continuing our sermon series on Corinthians.  We are finally, getting back to it. We will be finishing off 1 Corinthians 12 and I will be keying in on 1 Corinthians 12:27 "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." Paul is laying out the framework that qualifies a congregation to hold the title of "body of Christ".  The criteria might surprise you.  Find out what the requirements are to have the awesome designation of being called "the body of Christ." Talk about inspiring! 

Members Meeting

Following our Celebration (12:45pm) we will be hosting a Members meeting to discuss our future plans concerning S.H.A.R.E Nelson, Bowling Alley, and SHARE housing project.  Soup and a bun will be provided. We will not keep you past 2:45pm. 

Upcoming Dates to Put in Your Calendar

• Mystery Dinners, Sunday, February 21, 5 – 7:30pm – Sign up on Sundays at KCF
• Coldest Night of the Year, Saturday, February 20 between 5 – 8pm. For details visit cnoy.org or https://coldestnightoftheyear.org/location/nelson
• International Tasting Faire, March 3 at the Best Western
• Living Faith Bible College, Sunday, March 6 at KCF 

Visit our website at http://www.kootenaychristianfellowship.com for all the news, sermons, and places to donate. 

Looking forward to seeing you this weekend.

Pastor Jim